Prospective parents are raising their hopes again after the Victorian government backflipped on its decision to reverse a ban on most IVF treatments as the Omicron COVID-19 wave progresses. James Merlino, the Victorian acting health minister, announced that some services would resume from Jan. 20. Meanwhile, hospitals are ramping up their operations to ensure the restart of IVF procedures from 11:59 p.m. on Jan. 25. Authorities had originally contacted IVF clinics in early January to cancel appointments in an effort to hold off on elective surgeries to deal with the rising number of COVID-19 hospitalisations. However, the restriction on IVF treatments received heavy criticism from Prime Minister Scott Morrison, state Opposition Leader Matthew Guy, IVF clinics, patients and the community. In addition, an online petition against the ban collected nearly 140,000 signatures. Merlino and Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews have also made a public apology for causing distress with the IVF ban. “There’s …